To go, or not to go...

Maybe the better question is where to go...

We really need a vacation. We've been holding off because we're going to be in SA for about a month and want to keep saving and building up our holiday time, but I don't know if we'll make it! We both like to travel and feel like we need to get away, especially before I start into another school year.

There are about 5-6 days we can hopefully take at the end of August and part of me wants to just splurge and fly somewhere fun (maybe Disney World??). Then my practical side kicks in and I try to think of something a little more budget friendly.

If anybody out there has any great suggestions, we'd love them!

I hope you're all enjoying the summer!

???

I'm not too sure what's going on with our blog. Is the layout looking weird to everyone else? I tried to change it, but am having some trouble since I haven't done a lot of this before. Anyway, if anyone has any tips, I'd welcome them. I'll try to get it fixed up soon!

Waiting & Running

It's been a couple of weeks since we were able to meet with the social worker from S.A. and with the directors of our adoption agency. I don't think I've felt so nervous in a long time, but honestly, I had nothing to worry about!

We met in a room at a hotel in Regina and at first, sat and listened to both Gordon (director) & Robyn (social worker) speak about the program, their commitment and the changes that are happening. It really reinforced our confidence in the agency and in the program. They are passionate about what they are doing and they really desire to see things move along. This was very encouraging for us!

After that, we were able to have a good, long chat with Robyn one-on-one. I really believe that this will only be to our benefit as we are not just names on paper to her anymore. People have asked if we were given any kind of timeline...oh, how I wish. We're hoping before Christmas but, as we heard from Robyn, there are no guarantees. They really try not to give any kind of timeline so that we are not disappointed if it doesn't happen by then. There are so many factors that come into play (the mom could change her mind at the last minute, the child's paperwork could fall through, etc.) that they just keep it all quiet until that baby is ready for you. In many ways, I'm thankful for that because I know that when we get that phone call, it's a for sure thing and we can start packing out bags!

We were also able to talk quite a bit with Gordon and his wife (Dianne) and it was so great. They are a fantastic couple who truly care about the families in the program.

So, we continue to wait. I've got a good job for the summer working in one of our friends optometry clinic and we're hoping to go camping at some point as well. It's also our 5 year anniversary in August and I think that calls for a spontaneous weekend getaway!

One more thing...some of our other friends who adopted from SA (they just brought home their beautiful son) are running from Regina to Saskatoon (143 miles for 143 million orphans) to raise awareness about adoption as well as funds. We want to support them in this and spread the word. To find out more information or to donate, you can visit...

www.run143.com

(They already started the run, but it's not too late to get involved with what's happening!)

School's Out!!

Woo hoo!! Another school year is over. I can't believe how fast it went! I've been with this group of kids for a couple of years now and had a great time with them. I do love my job as an EA and might even miss the kids over the next few weeks, but as the last week of school usually goes...everyone seemed quite ready to be out of the classroom!

Tomorrow, Ian and I are off to Regina to meet the social worker from South Africa. We've really been looking forward to this weekend and to putting a face to a name we've heard lots about. We're also getting together with other families afterwards and it will be great to connect with them again!

Anyway, I'll update some more when we get back. Thanks for reading!

FIFA World Cup

I find it kind of funny that something I've never really paid much attention to in the past, can suddenly become this event that captures our attention. In fact, Ian and I woke up at 6:00 am this morning to watch the opening ceremonies. (If you know me, that is way too early to be getting out of bed, but I was glad that we got up.) I just wanted to be there and be a part of the excitement and celebration!

We've been talking for a while about the World Cup coming up & how it will affect the process of our adoption. To be honest, for a while I just wanted it to start so it could be over and things could move along; however, now that it's started, I'm really looking forward to watching the games, cheering on S.A. and enjoying the time Ian and I have together!

obedience

Well, as I sit here, I really don't know what to write. We don't have any news, but I want to keep sharing my thoughts and feelings through all of this.

I was reading my last post, I felt that I didn't explain myself fully or in the way I intended. When I talked about how I'm thankful to the birth mother, I am in no way thankful for the poverty & difficult situations some people face or that a mother had to give up her baby.

What I meant was that, through all of the heartache and helplessness that these women must feel, I'm thankful & humbled for the opportunity that God has given us to adopt a child. It would obviously be so much better if children were not abandoned and if parents were able to always take care of their children, but that's not the reality. The reality is that there are over 140 million orphans worldwide.

These are some of the things that have been on my heart lately. We really feel called to adopt. It's hard to explain the peace we felt when we made the decision to adopt. Yes, we want to become parents and Yes, part of us adopting is simply our desire to start our family, but it's also more than that. We feel God has asked us to choose this special way of starting our family and maybe in the process, others will feel led to consider adoption. For us, obeying the call to adopt is our way of honouring Christ with our lives. I really wouldn't want it any other way.

As I said before, there's not really any news. Since the World Cup starts this week, we know we can kind of relax (well, at least not feel my heart pounding when I get a call at work) until mid-July when the tournament is over.

Something exciting for us is that we get to meet the South African social worker who works so hard to match us with a child. She will be in Regina on June 26 and in Canada for about a 1 1/2 weeks. Ian & I are really looking forward to that and are hoping that meeting her in person will help us in the whole process.

Anyway, thanks for reading! I'll try to blog more...I really will. :)

Mother's Day

I thought this might be a tough day and although there were some tough moments, it was good.

We spent the evening with my family and I'm so thankful for my own mom. She has been a beautiful example of a wife and mother to me over the years and I hope to be able to be that kind of mom to my children.

I am also so thankful to our future child's birth mom for making what I'm sure was or will be a terribly hard decision, but one that allows Ian and I to experience the joy of parenting. We will forever be grateful to her.

I am also thankful to my husband for making this day special for me. He has a great sense of humour and a soft heart. Here's what I got this morning...

(In case you can't see, it says "To: Mommy")

He wrote me a letter as if it was from our baby. I couldn't help but shed a few tears! I also love that fact that he took the time to write the letter in "kid looking" printing! What a great gift!

I hope all you mothers out there had a wonderful day as you are truly blessed with your children and I hope to celebrate fully with you next year!